Jimmie's Online Empire

A compilation of all my articles and blogs and a peek into my strategy to create an online "empire" of content.

I started blogging in 2007 when hardly knew what a blog even was.

I've come a long way, needless to say. Now I have two self-hosted blogs and publish articles at three different sites. I have contributed as a regular writer to two different blogs and guest posted on many others. I write reviews at Amazon and upload hundreds of photos to Flickr each year.

I have created what I think of as an "online empire." Yes, it's a rather grandiose term, but I try to envision all of my online content as an organic unit. Each individual URL supports and nurtures the greater whole.

Welcome to an introduction to my online empire. I hope that my way of looking at my work will help you to see your own online work in a new light.

Tips for Creating an Online Empire

#1 Interlink

Don't think of your online work as separate entities -- a blog, a Flickr account, Squidoo lenses, etc. Instead, think of each piece of content you create as part of a large web -- your empire. The way you web those pieces together is through interlinking.

For every post or article I write, I am always thinking in the back of my mind about otherrelevant articles that I can link to. In the words of my blogging friend Barb, "I am my own best referral system." Make that happen with deliberate interlinking.

Use links to add value to your content.

Obviously, you don't want random links just for the sake of linking. Links are most powerful when they are linking to other sites similar in content. I normally write my text and then read over it, looking for words that my reader may not understand or that I've explained more fully elsewhere. Those are the things I link to.

Don't overlink.

Too many links overwhelms the reader. Even if they don't click on a link, the visual impact of so many links slows reading. Each link causes a split-second, silent question, "Do I click or not?" Don't hamper your reader with too much of a good thing.

Link Lists and Sneeze Pages

Link list posts are blog posts that are basically just a list of links. These are most effective when the title mentions a number, for example Ten Ideas for Summertime Projects. Write a brief introduction to your list as well as a short blurb for each link in your list. These are a great way to showcase your work on a single theme that spans various publishing platforms.

Sneeze pages are resource pages on your blog that link to lots of content that may otherwise be hidden deep within your archives. Make the sneeze page itself have valuable content rather than just being a list of links.

Read Katinka's Marketing Spiritual Blog

I love all of her blog, but the post 20 tips on how to interlink your online properties is especially relevant. She gets far more technical that I have been here. Read the article a couple of times until you can understand it. Revisit it occasionally to make sure you are internalizing the principles.

My Articles

Squidoo, Hubpages, and Wizzley

Tips for Creating an Online Empire

#2 Generating Ideas for Articles and Blog Posts

I've noticed there are two kinds of online writers. Some struggle with generating ideas to write about. Others have lots of ideas but little time to write. (I certainly fall in the second camp.) I get ideas from everything and everywhere.

Here is a list of inspiration sources for me. Your niches will be different, but try to apply the ideas to your own life and writing.

1. What we are doing in homeschool

books we read

activities we did

freebies we used

2. What I cooked today

Stop and take photos instead of rushing through the steps. And voila, a quick page!

3. Products I use

4. Questions asked on forums

My entire narration problems series was based on a single thread at a homeschool forum I read. The questions and answers shared there provided a starting point for me to branch from. Obviously, I didn't copy the conversations. Instead I took those concepts and elaborated on them far beyond what was said in the forum. But the inspiration for the pages came from that simple discussion among moms.

5. My own questions

What am I wondering about? I have successfully turned my research into a page.

6. Places I go

Whether it's daily spots or special once in a lifetime places, each deserves a bit of online fame.

Tips for Creating an Online Empire

#3 Your Name

While you are building your online empire, try as much as possible to use your real name or at least a consistent pseudonym everywhere you write. Why? You are building a reputation or a brand through your work. A single name is more memorable than being multiple personas on different sites.

As your online work grows, your audience will come to recognize your name. If you've been delivering quality content all along, there will be a level of trust that comes along with your name. And you will be seen as an expert in your field.

On the other hand, if people grow to associate your name with inferior content and half-hearted writing, they will not click over to see your latest post.

Evidence that the Online Empire is Working

An Example You Can See

A comment on a Flickr photo says, "I had to finally comment because I've found this on every different search I've done. Any time I add 'notebooking' on my search bar, I find at least one link pointing back to you! (Whether it be from a squidoo lense, one of your sites, etc.) I think I need to just START with you and then figure out where to go."

Tips for Creating an Online Empire

#4 Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It should go without saying, but it truly needs to be said again and again: be persistent in building content online.

Don't let a week go by without creating something -- a blog post, a lens, a hub, a wizz. Time is precious, and we writers have so little of it. But the beauty of online work is that it builds incrementally with every new article you post. As you interlink them, you find that slowly your small drips are creating a sturdy web of an empire.

Start today. And remember slow and steady wins the race. I am not the fastest writer. But I write quality, and I've been consistently adding to my empire for about four years.

More Help for Your Online Empire

How to Create a Demographics Survey for your BlogI wanted to know more about my readers, so I created a demographics survey. This lens takes you step by step through the process of creating the survey using Google Docs.

How to Write a Review of WebsiteWriting a review of an online service is different from a product review. Here are things I learned through personal experience.

Comments

Thanks so much for these tips on developing a well-rounded online presence. It is helping me organize my thoughts so that instead of being overwhelmed with seemingly unrelated ideas I can systematize myself and be more efficient.

Totally agree with all you're saying. I'm a big fan of the web metaphor when it comes to online writing. I think writing like that snuggles down into the web Goggle has already created and becomes more easily identified by search engines/